The streets are lined with apartment blocks rather than detached family homes, which are banned, and residents generally travel by tram or as part of a car-pooling club.

Coun Cook said officers were investigating what influence the authority could have over house builders to ensure “at least one” or “part of a” suburb “can be essentially car free”.

He said he had yet to define “car free” as some vehicles – such as buses, taxis, police, fire and ambulance – would still need access.

Coun Cook said he was confident the high-density, environmentally-friendly living would be attractive to a certain section of the market, such as parents of young children or the retired.

He said key to its success would be to have an effective public transport system in place before the first resident moves in. This would most likely be buses travelling on designated lanes as trams had already been ruled too expensive.

Transport expert Professor Stuart Cole, of the University of Glamorgan, said there was “no reason” why a car free suburb similar to those on the Continent could not be a success in Cardiff.

He said those schemes had worked because planning authorities were able to stipulate to builders what type of development they wanted and secure cash for infrastructure.

He said builders in Cardiff should be expected to pay for new railway lines, stations and bus lanes, as well as subsidise their operation until they become profitable.

Welcoming the council’s car free push, Lee Waters, of Sustainable Transport Cymru (STC) and Sustrans Cymru, said: “It’s not about being anti-car, it’s about enabling people to get around in ways that benefit their health and the environment.

“We need to make it easier to do the right thing and more difficult to do something that is going to cause harm.”

However, Lisvane’s Conservative councillor David Walker, whose ward will neighbour a 2,000 home development under the LDP, said he believed most households still want a car for daily use.

He said: “The question is whether builders will be prepared to invest in areas where the use of cars will be restricted? I have my doubts that a car free scenario is realistic.

“For example, it’s going to be a problem for mothers getting their children to school. How is a mum going to transport a child to their local school by 8.45am and then get to work? That is why cars are inevitably useful.”

The possibility of a car free suburb comes just weeks after the Echo exclusively revealed the council was again considering the merits of introducing a congestion charge.

One idea is to only charge motorists living outside the city’s boundaries who travel into the Welsh capital. It’s believed the charge could raise millions to improve Cardiff’s road and public transport network.